Mind's Love
by EdgeWave
Summary: Ino's a failure to herself. Every step of the way, she's done something wrong. Now, on her birthday, she makes a decision that'll change her life. InoCho, fluff, no smex in this one. Rated T cause of slightly violent battle scene.


**Hello everyone, it's me! I decided to get all my angsty feelings out and into the fanfic, cause I don't think i've given you anything for a while. **

**Title: Mind's love**

**Author: EdgeWave**

**Written on: August 28th 2013**

**For: Ino's birthday**

**Happy Fluff reading**

* * *

Ino sobbed in the forest, curling in on herself. She was so useless.

She had been totally obsessed with Sasuke when she was younger, and failed to notice what came of that. First, she failed to beat Sakura in the prelims of the chuunin exams, then didn't stop Sasuke from leaving, then destroyed her friendship with the pinkette, then completely missed the crush Choji had on her, and now everyone was ignoring her on her birthday.

'Life doesn't get much worse than this.' Ino thought, and leaned back against a tree. It had been too long since she had cried like this. She let the tears come, hardening her heart with every drop she let fall.

She stayed in the forest for the rest of the day and night, training. Until dusk, she used her chakra to her limits, then from dusk till about two or three hours before dawn she pushed her physical limits. Then, she slept.

At dawn she traveled back into the village, and walked past the anbu guarding Tsunade's office. Going to the side cabinet, she grabbed about five rolls of bandages and food pills. She also took a mask from another cabinet, and then lept out the window Kakashi-style. A piece of paper fluttered to the floor.

Ino continued, packing with lightning speed as she slipped on the mask. She then darted out of the village, heading towards the land of snow.

* * *

Tsunade walked into her office only fifteen seconds after Ino left, and she abruptly caught the piece of paper as it fell. The Hokage quickly read it, and then darted out of the room, scaring the shit out of the ANBU.

_'Dear Tsunade-sama,_

_My name is Yamanaka Ino, and of 6:43 am on September 23rd, I have left the village to become something more then I am now. Sakura-shishou hates me, I couldn't realize how much the obsessiveness over Sasuke had hurt me, and I couldn't even see the feelings my crush had for me. _

_Please don't label me a missing ninja. I'm not. Every 3 months or so, I'll send a letter telling you where I was, and in two or more years I'll return. I don't deserve to be called a shinobi at this point in time. I don't deserve to stand among their ranks. _

_Naruto is a toad sage. Sakura is a master medical ninja. Shikamaru and Choji are strategists like I've never seen before. Hinata has mastered the Byakugan. Shino's attacks and coordination are amazing. Kiba and Akamaru have their own team of genin. Neji is ambassador. Tenten is a weapons specalist. Lee is in his own league of taijutsu. Gaara is Kazekage. Temari is a hunternin and Kankuro is Suna ANBU. Kakashi-sensei is the Copy Ninja. Iruka-sensei is a chunnin that could probably take down the kyuubi with his skill at controlling academy students. _

_What am I? A dumb blonde with little genjutsu skill, barely passable medical ninjutsu, and a weak hold on her family's technique. _

_In two years, at 6:43 am on September 23, I'll return. And I'll return with the skill and mindset to finally stand among the ranks of true shinobi. _

_Yamanaka Ino'_

* * *

September 22nd, two years later.

Ino sliced the rouge's head off, his scream cutting short as she resheathed her katana. It had been two years since she left. Tsunade had never marked her as a missing nin, thank kami. She would be turning 20 tommorrow. Speaking of birthdays...

Taking out a pen and a piece of paper, she quickly wrote a letter and stowed the pen away again. Biting her thumb and doing a couple handsigns, a snowy white swan appeared. Somehow she picked up a swan summoning in Snow country.

Ino handed the scroll to the bird, and the great wings flapped as the swan took off in the direction of Konoha. The blonde's hair wrapped around the decapitated head of the criminal, heading to the bounty office to collect her reward then head back to her village, with a little detour to find a certain something.

* * *

Tsunade paced rapidly in front of her desk, biting her lip and trying to calm herself. Ino was coming back tommorrow. She was coming back...

A cawing interrupted her train of thought. A swan, Ino's summoning, landed on her desk before poofing into smoke.

The hokage hurriedly unwrapped the scroll, and read it a couple times to make sure.

_'Dear Tsunade-sama,_

_Ino here. I'm still alive. This was written on September 22. I return tommorrow. It's been so long since I've been in the village, I wonder what's changed. Is Naruto still painting the Hokage monument? Probably not._

_I don't know how I'll react to everyone's faces. I need to make up with Sakura, Choji, Shikamaru, Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, and everyone else. I want to see my dad again. And Iruka-sensei. Maybe not Kakashi-sensei. If he's reading those kami-damned books, I will kick him from here to Suna._

_Is Kurenai-sensei okay? I've improved in genjutsu dramatically since I've left the village. Most of all my medical ninjutsu._

_I'll see you tommorrow. Oh yeah, do you want the ANBU mask back?_

_Ino'_

Tsunade smiled at the end. She managed to grab the swan mask before she left. Ironic.

Tsunade decided that she needed to do something. Smirking, she created 4 kage bunshin and all five attacked the paperwork on her desk.

* * *

September 23, 6:43 am

Ino appeared in a rush of feathers, standing before the Konoha gate. Walking through it, she waved to Izumo and Kotetsu who did a double take as Ino walked on, through Konoha.

* * *

Sakura couldn't believe it. A chakra signature she hadn't seen in two years... The pinkette was having breakfast with Shikamaru and Choji, trying to help them get over the loss of their teammate, and yet here was the chakra they were all trying to get over.

She stood up abruptly, and let a true smile drift over her face. The first one since a certain blonde left.

* * *

Ino could hear the whispers all around her. They were similar to the ones Naruto got at the end of his three year training trip. All of a sudden, she was attacked in the middle of the street.

Strong arms wrapped around her stomach, and a chin was hooked over her right shoulder. After 2 years, Sakura was hugging her. Correction. Squeezing the hell out of her.

However, tears began falling down her cheeks as she embraced one of the specific reasons she regretted that she left.

* * *

Choji's POV

Ino was beautiful. Stunning. She had her Konoha headband tied around her waist, and her purple outfit had been exchanged for a similar one in black. Her feet were wrapped in black bandages under her sandals, and so were her wrists/hands. She had a black cloak on, ripped and frayed. A sheathed katana was slung across her back arrow quiver style, and her hair had grown. Like, really grown.

She had her hair still in the high ponytail, but a bottom layer hung down to where it almost touched the floor. Upon closer inspection, her hair was actually twisting and writhing which made Choji suspect a jutsu used to control her hair. When she finally turned to him, all of his inner babbling washed away. There was only...her.

The girl he loved/had a crush on since the academy was here. She was back. And she looked like she had gone through hell and come back an angel.

Suddenly, she was in his arms. He was startled, freezing. She shook, sobbing into the Akimichi's chest. Choji cupped her head in his hands, and did something he thought he would never be able to do. He kissed the blonde.

* * *

**Ta-da! I never thought I could finish this, but here we are. Just in time, too! I love InoCho. **

**I will be posting the final chapter in the near future written by me for the virus. Sorry loves, aint happening anymore. I lost my passion and ideas when I was flamed. Bye!**


End file.
